Vegan
Friday Food on a Saturday: A Sweet, Savory, and Cruelty-Free Fourth
Published July 04, 2009 @ 01:00AM PT
Are you ready for this? Are you sure? Because the sheer awesomeness of these recipes, divided into sweet and savory sections this time, may be more than you can handle. Everything here would be an excellent addition to quiet meals at home or gatherings with friends this weekend or any weekend. (Please read through to the end of this post for a serious note on why you should try out these and other animal-free recipes this weekend.)
First, an abundance of desserts and fruity goodness (and a reminder: those who avoid or limit intake of soy for allergy or other reasons shouldn't disregard these lovely vegan dessert recipes, even the ice creams; coconut milk and other non-soy, non-dairy milks are great substitutes, and indeed, many of these recipes don't call for soy in the first place):
- Apricot Crumble Bar from Raw Epicurean (beautifully pictured courtesy Raw Epicurean at end of this section)
- Sweet Tea Ice Cream from Madcap Cupcake and Wheeler's Frozen Desserts (check this post out not only for this special recipe but also for the official Madcap Cupcake review of the new Vegan Scoop cookbook)
- Strawberry-Blueberry Tapioca Parfaits from FatFree Vegan Kitchen (pictured above courtesy FFVK)
- Blueberries & Cream Ice Cream from the Innocent Primate Vegan Blog
-You will continue after the jump if you know what's good for you-
Not-So-Vegan and So, So Vegan
Published July 02, 2009 @ 02:05PM PT
Two very different items have been making their way around online spaces this past week: (1) a "hipster vegan"-mocking, but still supremely funny, video titled "So, So Vegan" (which is embedded at the end of this post and the circulation of which by vegans is proof that yes, we do indeed have a sense of humor about ourselves and each other!) and (2) a remarkably involved and impressive investigation into vegan Los Angeles eateries by QuarryGirl.com, which I mentioned briefly in one of this week's roundups.
In the latter, the bloggers revealed the results of a grand-scale investigation into 17 LA-area vegan restaurants to see which ones might be serving food that's not actually vegan (whether inadvertently or, it seems in one case, perhaps even consciously). And we're not talking about some easy, uncomplicated, amateur testing process either. The investigators went all-out scientific, and they report every step of the process in extraordinary detail in the post: "Operation Pancake: Undercover Investigation of LA Vegan Restaurants" (with an update post here: "Operation Pancake: The Plot Thickens"). And really, it wouldn't take a scientific analysis for anyone who's been vegan for any length of time to look at Green Leaves' cheese and immediately question whether it's really vegan. [As I prepare to post this, QuarryGirl.com isn't loading--the site's been receiving a lot of traffic in recent days--but keep trying back periodically if you encounter a problem on first attempt. I'm sure they'll have it back up and running in no time.]
And now the "So, So Vegan" video. Enjoy:
Do I Have to Change My Life? Yes, Kind Of, But That's a Good Thing
Published July 01, 2009 @ 02:41PM PT
Somehow, when I was putting together the recent roundups, I accidentally looked past a post that I knew I wanted to share the moment it was published over a week ago. Ryan of Veg Blog recently received--and shared--an e-mail from a Saudi reader asking some questions about going vegan or vegetarian. Included in his response to the reader was the following bit of thoughtfulness:
A Film That Will Change Hearts and Save Lives--And How You Can Help
Published June 28, 2009 @ 06:12AM PT
Those of us who were moved by the first version of Peaceable Kingdom--including so many of us whose lives were forever and dramatically changed by Peaceable Kingdom--have been anxiously awaiting the new, improved, even more powerful second version. Filmmakers James LaVeck and Jenny Stein have been laboring for years over the project, and much to the excitement of a lot of people, the film is finally finished.
If you're signed up for the Tribe of Heart newsletter and for updates on the film, you know this already, but if not, here are the details (with a preview of the film at the end of the post):
Friday Food: Oh, the Desserts!
Published June 26, 2009 @ 06:28AM PT
Everything in this week's list looks delicious, including--absolutely--the main dishes, but I couldn't help but notice the incredible desserts featured this week: chocolate strawberry pie, Sicilian white chocolate gelato, iced tea cupcakes, blackberry breeze (technically a drink, but dessert-like too)--yum.
"Chocolate Dipped Strawberries" Pie from Dreena's Vegan Recipes (pictured above)
Best Vegan Nutrition Websites from the Vegan Dietitian
Vegan Hot Wings from the Voracious Vegan
Iced Tea Cupcakes from BitterSweet
-So much more after the jump--click through!-
Animal Advocacy This Weekend: Elephants and Bake Sales
Published June 18, 2009 @ 01:48PM PT
- This Saturday, June 20, is the first annual International Day of Action for Elephants in Zoos, sponsored by In Defense of Animals. Please check to see what demonstrations and events may be taking place in your area: Find an Event. (See also IDA's "Top 10 Reasons to Fight for Animals in Zoos" and the org's main Help Elephants section.) Explains IDA,
This day of outreach and action will bring attention to the tragic effects of keeping elephants in small, impoverished zoo pens where they suffer and die prematurely.
The newest scientific studies document what IDA has been saying all along: zoo conditions and practices have a profound effect on the lives of elephants, drastically shortening their life spans. Simply put, the earth’s largest land mammals just don’t belong in zoos, where lack of space and unnatural conditions lead to a range of problems, including painful foot disease and arthritis, the leading reasons for euthanizing elephants in captivity.
- The Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale (June 20-28) kicks off this weekend too! I wrote about this in more detail in May ("Food Activism: Veg Fund and Vegan Bake Sale"), and my pal Gary Loewenthal, the tireless organizer of this event (and the blogger at Animal Writings and one of the founders of Compassion for Animals), recently guest posted at the Veg Blog, providing more information and updates. Check here to see if one of the 75 (at last count) bake sales is happening near you!
Photo courtesy of In Defense of Animals
[Unrelated note: I'm putting off the promised second Animals in the Blogs roundup 'til this weekend.]
Friday Food: Hippie Loaf, Fruity Bread, Minty Drink, Cheezy Casserole
Published June 12, 2009 @ 05:05PM PT
Thrifty Mango Bread from BitterSweet (pictured above, courtesy Hannah at BitterSweet)
Cheezy Quinoa Un-Casserole from Voracious Vegan
Blueberry-Banana Bread from FatFree Vegan Kitchen
Memphis BBQ Tofu and Tofu "Egg" Slices (for sandwiches) from Vegan Dad
Hippie Loaf (gluten-free) from Happy Herbivore
Bananarama Smoothie and Hearty Omega Waffles from Innocent Primate Vegan Blog
Panang Tofu Curry from Show Me Vegan
Peanut Noodle Salad from VegNews
Various Kale, Tofu, and Eggplant Recipes from Vegan Hope
Mint Granita & Mint Info and Cold Cherry Soup with Fresh Mint from Raw Epicurean
